


Quadrilha

by lilwallflower



Category: Carol (2015), The Price of Salt - Patricia Highsmith
Genre: F/F, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, Slow Burn, but itll take time, its complicated, things will be ok
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2020-11-02 01:49:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20581232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilwallflower/pseuds/lilwallflower
Summary: Loving is complicated and takes time, but with effort we can make it work. This might be a long road, or I might make it shorter, but I want it to be complicated.





	1. A loved B, who loved C

**Author's Note:**

> English is not my first language, so forgive me for any mistakes and feel free to point them out.

The ceremony had been beautiful. Richard’s mother cried all the way through. The bridesmaids were all so thrilled. Most of the guests were happy and satisfied. Most of them. But now it was over. They were happily married and the wedding reception had begun. A band and a singer had been hired, and those under forty were excited to hear it.

Therese was wearing a smile she had been practicing all week. She worked so hard on that smile no one could tell it was fake. She spent all day telling everyone how happy she was for her friend and his wife, “Oh, Richard getting married it’s a blessing! Finally! They’re meant to be!”, but oh, she couldn’t do otherwise. The truth would be a shock. And the truth was that she never wanted that marriage to happen. Genevieve was okay, she was nice and all, but she didn’t love Richard like Therese, and Therese was sure he could do so much better, but she wouldn’t dare to say it to anyone, especially Richard.

But now it was over. They were married. Nothing else to be done. So, she sat close to the bar next to the stage, for if she had to be sad at least it would be with good music and a drink. Her friend Danny, who was the one to hire the band, was on the stage and announcing that the show was about to begin. Therese ordered a shot of whisky, got her cellphone out of her small purse and snapped a picture of Danny. He looked nice, he’d want to post that on Instagram later.

As soon as Danny got off the stage, three girls came and settled, one by the piano, one with a guitar and the last one got the mic. The singer caught Therese off guard. She was a tall blonde woman, maybe in her late twenties, sharp cheekbones, red lips, greyish blue eyes. She wore dark jeans and a black button up shirt, with a white blazer. “Made of marble”, Therese thought, for she could only be compared to the sculpture of a Greek goddess.

With her phone still in hand, Therese snapped another picture. That one for herself.

Completely captivated and unable to pay attention to anything else, Therese simply turned her stool to look directly to the stage. The blond woman greeted everyone, congratulated the married couple and announced the first song, “My Funny Valentine”.

Her voice was smoky and silvery, and it seemed to take control over the whole place. The guitar and piano were barely a whisper next to her voice, but at the same time her voice was turned into an instrument, merged into the music, fused into the air. Therese shivered. The woman smiled, and smoothly and slowly gestured with her hands and arms, as if the air was magic and she could manipulate it.

As the she finished the first song the barman asked Therese if she wanted another shot of whisky, she refused, wanting to be as sober as possible so she wouldn’t forget a single detail of that show. And through the entire night she dedicated her attention to that woman, trying to capture with her own eyes as much as she could.

Near the end of what was announced as the last song, the woman looked at Therese, the first time since the beginning of the show, and she did not take her eyes of her until her last notes. The song was in a language unknown to Therese, and it made her feel like she was listening to an angel. She made a mental note to ask Danny which song and language was that. As the woman finished, and the guitar had it’s last notes, she waited until everyone stopped clapping and thanked everyone and congratulated Richard and Gen again, wishing them a long and prosperous marriage.

As the woman left the stage, Therese was suddenly aware of the time and of her surroundings. She looked through a window and is was pitch black. There was not as many people as before, Richard was nowhere to be seen, nor was Gen. She got her phone again, it was 2am. Quickly she texted Danny, “Where r u?”.

Danny [02:09]: Im with the band, whats up

Therese [02:09]: nothing, im alone and wanna go home, still at the bar

Danny [02:11]: ok, im coming over, wait a second

Now that the show was over and Danny was coming, she decided to allow herself one last drink. She turned back to the bar and opened her Instagram page. She posted a picture she had taken of Richard and Gen earlier, just after Richard said yes, and posted, writing the nicest and fakest message she could as a caption. Just as she posted, Gen liked and thanked her for being the best friend ever in the comments and added that “Rich is sleeping right now, but I know he also thinks the same of you <3”. And Therese concluded that he probably did. She kept scrolling down through her feed, liking almost everything, for she mostly followed artists.

She was caught by surprised and almost fell off of her stool when she felt a hand on her shoulder. It was Danny. He had the brightest smile and by his side was the singer from before. She looked calm and curious, as if trying to figure out what kind of animal was Therese. Therese hoped she’d be classified as a human being.

“Therese, hey, did I take too long? Sorry, I was just chatting,” he turned to the blond woman and pointed at Therese tilting his head, “This is my friend Therese, she’s a photographer,” he was proud.

The woman had not for a moment taken her eyes off of Therese, so she just smiled, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Therese. I’m Carol.”

Carol. Carol. Carol. Carol. That sound burned into Therese’s brain. A sound of freezing cold fire that could light up even the darkest side of the moon. Carol. She repeated the name billions of times in a fraction of a second and did her best not to forget it. Carol.

“Hi, Carol, the pleasure is mine,” she gave her a shy smile and tried to find something that not Carol’s eyes to look, for her eyes felt dangerous, “You have a beautiful voice, but you probably know that already.”

“Oh, please,” she chuckled, “I do know, but it’s always nice to hear such kind words from beautiful women.” And that was it for Therese. The way she spoke, in her sultry voice, with such a naturality, as if she could say that at any given moment, even, as if she did say that all the time and for everyone, but at the same time as if it was their little secret, that was it for Therese. She felt her legs weaken.

Not knowing what to answer, Therese was saved by an oblivious Danny, “Good thing you know you’re good Carol, because you really are, do you have any concerts scheduled that we can go?”

Carol, not once diverting her eyes answered calmly, “Yes, I do, next Friday if you want to show up.”

“We would, right Tess?”

“Yes, of course.”

Therese didn’t want the conversation to end, the reason still unknown to her, so she asked the first thing that came to mind, “Carol, you mind telling me the name of that last song you sang? I don’t think I ever heard it.”

The woman beamed and Therese made a mental note to ask her about music again so she could see that smile, “Oh, you probably wouldn’t know, it’s not that popular here, it’s a Brazilian song, in Portuguese. It’s called Jardim de Fantasia.”

“Portuguese? That’s why I couldn’t understand a word,” she smirked, “Have you ever been to Brazil?”

“A couple times, yes, it’s a beautiful country and the music is amazing,” her eyes finally drifting away, she looked to a void, remembering.

Just when Therese was about to ask her more about her trip, a tall brunette that Therese remembered being the pianist, showed up, taking Carol’s left arm and shortly greeting everyone, Rachel was her name, “Carol, we need to go, I’m tired and ain’t gonna wait for your ass.”

Carol seemed to snap out of her trance, “Okay, calm down,” she looked back to Danny and then Therese, “Hope to see you next Friday,” and like that, she and Rachel left.


	2. clubbing

Friday morning was such a peaceful moment for Therese. No more people calling to ask her for pictures from the wedding. She had spent most of the week on phone calls explaining she was not working at the wedding so no, she could not send them their pictures because she hadn’t taken any. Annoying to say the least. But Friday morning, ugh, what a bliss.

She was laying on the wooden floor of her living room, staring at a painting she had bought years ago. It was the painting of a faceless woman, and she always felt like she could really understand that woman.

Therese deeply enjoyed those moments of peace, in which she could just exist, doing nothing, being nothing, just exist. She breathed calmly, and felt the air fill her body and leave it, in a cycle she could not control. She contemplated the simplest aspects of life. She thought of flowers, trees, cars, buildings, the Sun, the ocean, and in minutes that felt like seconds, her mind wandered.

But just as her brain started to think of people, it all came to her again. The night was blurry, and feelings were mixed in the bowl that was her confusion. She insisted on feeling sad, on being sad, it was the right thing for her. Her youth love got married and she’d been left alone.

She wanted to write about it, to paint, to take pictures of anything gray or blue, anything with hard edges or lost shadows, she wanted to cry and run hundreds of miles, jump from a high place into the ocean, smoke a pack of cigarettes and listen to Adele on loop, but her brain refused to let her.

Every time she tried to sink herself into the dark blue waters of a broken heart, her mind took her back to her. Her. The woman singing songs she wasn’t accustomed to hear. Jazz and blues, and foreign sounds. She kept on coming back to her mind, over and over again. Why? That was the hardest question.

Of course, Therese could say it was because she was talented, skilled, her show had been pleasing, she had beautiful voice and appearance, charisma, and all, but she knew herself better. There was something else and she couldn’t tell what it was. She gave up on her moment of mindfulness and got up.

Her day was normal, she painted through most of it, being interrupted only by some intrusive thoughts of Carol. As the day started to turn into night and the Sun decided to go to sleep, Danny called.

“Tee? Are you ready to go?”

“Ready to go where, Danny?”

“Carol’s concert, remember? We agreed to go,” he explained.

“Oh, Danny, I can’t go, I’m tired…”, she wasn’t.

“But Tee, I need you there, you’re my wingman,” his tone was pleading and he used it because he knew it always worked.

Therese breathed calmly, “Okay, but you owe me that, be here in 30 minutes.”

…

The club was filled with people, there was not a spot empty, so Danny was a hero for finding them a place to sit not that far from the main stage. Not that people were fighting to get close to the stage, as they were mainly entertained by the little stages like islands with poles placed here and there, in which little dressed men and women were promiscuously dancing. Danny had his eyes and mouth wide open, looking everywhere, his head almost rotating itself out of his neck, he looked like a dentist’s kid in a candy shop.

“Danny, I know your bisexuality is having the best time ever, but could you behave like an adult please?”, Therese said with a smirk, getting a puppy faced Danny as a response.

“Come on, Tee, look at all of these hot people! Man, I wanna have a good time.”

And he had. Rounds and rounds of shots came, and Danny dived in them. People would pass by and he would wink and catcall, men were called for bed, women were praised like goddesses. At one point of the night a very tall black man approached and asked for his number, Danny offered to give him so much more, and Therese watched as they both walked to a dark corner of the club.

It was close to eleven when Carol finally showed up. Therese was very aware of her surroundings this time. She saw as Carol slowly waked to the mic, and the same two girls from before also showed up. She noticed all the details. Her eyes travelled through Carol’s backless black dress, her bracelets, necklace, earrings and all the tiny details. She hadn’t drunk as much as Danny, she wanted to remember.

She took her phone out of her purse and quickly took at least ten or twelve pictures of Carol. Research purposes only, she told herself. But differently from the last time, Carol saw her early. As they locked eyes, Therese felt the Earth move, she could hear the sound of her own breathing, but not for long, for when Carol begun to sing, all the sounds faded away.

This setlist differed from the last one a lot. The first song was enough to make Therese lose her breath. “I Just Want to Make Love to You”, sang in a smooth and slow pace. _What is this woman? _she asked herself, eyes still fixed on her. All of the dancers of the club, moving on rhythm, the other costumers almost as entertained as Therese, Danny nowhere to be seen. 

The show was short, compared to the wedding, only 6 songs long, but for Therese it felt like a second and an eternity altogether. There was need inside her, a need she did not know of what. She saw Carol turn back and leave the stage, and the need felt much more intense.

Not knowing what to do with herself, she texted Danny.

[11:46] Therese: where r u?

[11:48:] Therese: Dannie McElroy I swear if you leave me alone to have sex with some random guy I’ll never forgive you!!!!! What happened to sisters b4 misters?

Danny did not answer. So, she decided to call it a night, but just as she was leaving, a hand touched her left shoulder.

“Therese?”, it was the voice that got her distracted all week. The voice. “I did not expect to see you tonight, what a pleasure,” and as she turned to see Carol, she thanked Aphrodite for creating such a masterpiece of a smile.

“Oh, but we told you we’d come,” Carol’s hand still on her shoulder made her fuzzy, so she distracted herself by talking, “Danny’s somewhere in this club with a random guy he met, he’ll literally abandon me at any given chance.”

“Well, I hope I can make you company then, since you came to see me,” she said it low enough so only Therese would hear it, and it felt like a gift, “But can we go backstage? All of this noise it’s killing me.”

“We can go anywhere you want,” was a thought that Therese didn’t dare to say out loud, so she just said, “Yes, of course.”


	3. a little awkward

Therese didn’t actually knew many stage artists, so she was a little surprised with backstage being a corridor with a few dressing rooms. As Carol guided her to the last one, she wondered, _should Carol be confined in a place like this ever? Doesn’t she belong in something more like a museum? What is Carol anyway?_ But her thoughts did not leave her head for a second.

Carol opened the door for her, and they both made their way in, sitting on a small and seemly old brown sofa. They looked at each other, and a very reasonable question popped in both their heads. Why where they there? What was to be done? They didn’t even know each other.

“I didn’t really think this through,” Carol broke the silence, “but let’s chat, until your friend answers your texts and you get to go home then?”

“Okay, I’ll start,” answered Therese, she had many questions in mind and was eager to at least get some of them answered, “how do you pick your setlist? The songs you performed today, very different of those of the wedding.”

Carol smiled, the same smile, Therese remembered, of the last time she asked about music. “I do it with Abby and Rachel, we sit and plan, always thinking of the kind of event and the kind of people, you know? There’s no place for poetic ballads in strip clubs.” She said the last with a small laugh, Therese laughed too.

“Well, I guess It wouldn’t fit, but are your choices limited to any extent? Would you sing Bieber?” Therese asked jokingly, but with legitimate curiosity, the thought of Carol singing Justin Bieber’s Baby was actually really cute for her.

“Listen, Rachel would never, but Abby does not discriminate and,” she got closer to Therese to finish the sentence in a whisper, “I actually like Bieber.”

Therese faked a shock expression, “What? The sophisticated Carol, listens to Justin Bieber?”

“Sophisticated? Honey I’m nothing like that! And truly, on my darkest hours, I do listen to some Biebs, One D, BTS… What can I do? They’re cute! But that’s our little secret, okay?”

Therese laughed, she thought higher of Carol now, “I’ll carry it to my grave!”

And they chatted about the silliest things for some time, until Therese heard her phone signal that someone had texted her. She opened it, it was Danny, he was finished with Ethan, _so that’s his name_, thought Therese, he asked her where she was, he wanted to go home, so she said she’d meet him at the parking lot.

Carol walked Therese to the parking lot, imposing a slower pace than Therese was used, but it was not like both were in a hurry. They walked, chatting, talking about Danny and his loving habits. Carol mentioned having a friend just like that, Abby, the guitar girl, Abby liked easy loving. They both agreed that it was probably nice not having to care much about that. Therese wondered if Carol was being serious, she didn’t look like the time of person to struggle with love. Carol thought the same of her.

As they reached Danny, he was waiting in front of his car, his hair completely disheveled, his lips were intensely red, his eyes were dark and he was wearing a big smile. He greeted them with emanating happiness. “Hey, you two! Who would’ve thought?”

“Hey Danny, lucky night?” Therese answered, scanning him from head to toe, trying to figure out if he was sober enough to drive.

“The luckiest of nights, Tee! But you got luckier, Carol? Man, what a win, I thought you liked boys!”

“Good night Danny, you look happy,” said Carol, having her name mentioned, tried to distract the boy from whatever he was thinking.

“I am truly happy, Carol, Ethan, what a man!”

“I bet.”

“Danny I don’t think you should drive,” said Therese, finally, she knew he was too drunk for it, he usually didn’t lose focus when he had something in mind, “I’ll drive, okay?”

“Fine by me, Tee,” he searched his pockets for the keys, got them and threw them at Therese, “Think fast!”, she missed them, but Carol got them and handed them back to her. “What a fine pair you two.”

“Let's go Danny, get in,” answered Therese, opening the car for him to enter, “Sorry for keeping you busy Carol, I hope I didn’t ruin your night.”

“What? Don’t even. It was great spending time with you, Therese,” she said simply.

“Well then, thanks for making me company, the show was great, can’t wait to hear you again.” She was a little red by the end of the sentence, but did not regret a single word.

“And I can’t wait to sing to you, Therese, have a good night and good dreams, see you soon.” And with just that Carol turned around and left, fading in the darkness of the badly lit parking lot. Therese sat there for one or two minutes, stuck, wondering if all of that had really happened, and was brought back to reality by Danny cursing out loud, after throwing up in his own just recently cleaned car.


End file.
